


Just Tell Him Already

by craftyuworks



Category: One Piece
Genre: Anxiety, Crying, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Time Skip, post-Water 7, somewhat canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:20:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28393017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/craftyuworks/pseuds/craftyuworks
Summary: After the events of Water 7, Sanji's finally decided that he's going to tell Usopp how he feels about him. The issue is that Sanji's plans fly out the window the moment he finds to courage to even utter his name, causing his anxiety to spike and his words to fumble.+ art at the end of the fic ;)
Relationships: Usopp/Vinsmoke Sanji
Kudos: 75





	Just Tell Him Already

Sanji leaned against the railing of the crew’s newly beloved Sunny as he blew a line of smoke into the wind, watching it fade away against the dark sky. Tonight was going to make him out to be a fool no matter how he went about this. 

He sighed to himself before stubbing and tossing his cigarette into the ocean. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he left for the kitchen to make sure he had really made up his mind. Being there would take a little edge off him, he thought. 

As he approached the door, he looked out to the lawn where some of his crewmates rested. The swordsman laid asleep off to the side while his captain, doctor, and sniper sat in the middle of the grass, laughing and talking with each other. It was good to see everyone getting along well again. He entered his kitchen and let the door swing back to its spot behind him. It was too late into the night to prepare any snacks, so he stuck with making some tea. 

He grabbed the teapot stowed away in one of the cabinets and filled it with warm water. He placed it on the stovetop and turned the heat up. As he let the pot sit, he approached the door once more. He peered through the window to see the group conversing. _Tonight,_ he thought to himself. He took a deep breath before opening the door slightly. His face peaked through the crack, feeling the light breeze against his cheek. His eyes were glued on the three sitting in the grass. All he had to do was call out for him.

He would ask Usopp to come over, let the water boil, then tell him as he made tea so he had an excuse not to face him directly. 

Before he could get a word out, he retracted his head and shut the door. He panicked. Sanji pressed his back to the door as he buried his face into his hands. His cheeks and nose were hot to the touch as he could feel the pink creeping all over his face. He slid to the floor, ashamed. 

He exhaled through his nose as he dragged his hands from his face, letting his head lean back against the door. His face wore a disgruntled look as he huffed at his own actions. Was he really _this_ pathetic? He couldn’t do so much as make a peep. Lingering on the floor for another moment, he finally picked himself up again. 

_Stupid, stupid, stupid- you’re overthinking this._

He plucked a cigarette from his pocket and brought it to his lips. He quickly lit it and took a drag from it. He walked behind the counter to check on the pot once more. Hot, but not ready. He grabbed the small ashtray hiding in the corner and took it with him to the table that sat in the middle of the room. He set it down as he took a seat. His gaze was stuck on the door as he could hear Luffy bellowing with laughter as he spoke. Chopper’s giggling followed soon after, along with Usopp accompanying him. The sound of the sniper’s laugh squeezed at the chef’s heart. He shut his eyes as he exhaled more smoke. 

_Just tell him already._

_Just tell him, you coward._

Without his knowledge, Sanji had begun biting through the cigarette that rested between his teeth. He pulled it away from his mouth to find little indentations left on the yellow paper. He stared a little longer before placing it back. He was such a lost cause. 

He stood up and walked over to the door for a final time. His hand rested against it. Thoughts were flooding through his mind.

He decided that tonight he would talk to Usopp. He had a small conversation pre-planned in his head; ask the sniper to come with him to the kitchen, talk for a bit before dropping the bomb. The plan wasn’t exactly fleshed out, but he would make do. That’s what he was hoping for, at least, since right now it seemed that his heart wanted to talk over him. He could barely think with the sound pounding through his skull. His fingers moved against the wood as he finally opened the door wide open. 

“Oi Usopp,” he spoke, “come ‘ere.” 

Usopp looked up from the other two, his eyes full of curiosity at the sudden mention of his name from the cook. “Huh? Oh, sure,” he stood up quickly and started his approach. 

Suddenly, Sanji realized just how soon this interaction was coming up, so he slipped back into the kitchen. He used all his confidence just by summoning the sniper. The rest was completely drained from his body and his plan blanked. 

_No no no, I can’t do this now, shit- I can’t._

He bit down on his cigarette, breaking the paper and feeling it crumble under his teeth. Feeling uncomfortable, he snatched it away from his mouth as he stubbed it into the ashtray. He returned behind the counter, checking on the pot. He was relieved to hear it whistle.

He nearly jumped at the sound of the door creaking gently open. 

“Hey, whatcha need?” Usopp asked as he entered. 

_Be cool, just-_

“Ah, I was making tea and was wondering if.. uh, you wanted to talk a little.”

_Fucking hell. You’re never like this, why are you now?_

He sounded like an unprepared fool. He couldn’t tell him tonight. There’s no way he could, but he knew he had to. He had to or else it would continue to slowly eat him alive to the point where he didn’t know if he would be able to face him again. 

“Of course,” he smiled cheerfully, seemingly unphased by Sanji’s uncharacteristic hesitation. He walked over to the table and sat in one of the seats near the ashtray. He propped an elbow on the table as he rested his face in his palm. “What tea are you making?” 

Sanji grabbed two cups and set them nearby the stove as he moved to the cupboard. “Black tea. I’ve got some honey in the pantry and I’ll be adding a slice of lemon. It’s good with more citrus.” He pulled out a pair of teabags and dropped one in each cup. He picked up the pot and filled each accordingly. It started to get quiet. Sanji grabbed a small jar of honey he had purchased a few trips back and managed to save. He drizzled a teaspoon into the tea before closing it back up. 

The silence was starting to get harder to bear. 

“So,” Usopp started as Sanji opened the fridge, “did you wanna talk about anything specific?”

The blond could feel his nerves spiking. “No, not really.” He placed a small lemon on one of the cutting boards resting on the counter. He didn’t want to tell him just yet. He had to get his words just right. “What were you guys talking about?” 

The sniper snickered, “Luffy was doing impressions again.” Sanji forced out his own chuckle in order to mask his nervousness. “Was I one of them?” 

“Yeah,” he giggled, “he’s pretty good.” 

The cook sliced the lemon quickly. “I bet he was.”

He let a slice of the citrus filled fruit float in the tea as he cleaned his counter and wrapped the remaining lemon. He washed the sour from his hands after setting his used cookware in the sink. He would tend to it later.

He brought the two cups to the table and set each at their destined seat. “Thanks,” Usopp spoke, bringing it to his mouth to take a sip. Sanji didn’t touch his tea. He couldn’t even look at the sniper. His stare rested on the table. 

“You were right about the lemon, it tastes really good,” the sniper complimented. Sanji snickered in response, letting a small grin form on his face before forcing it away. He was quiet. He let a hand rest on the top of the table, not letting his focus drift away from his fingers. 

_Don’t look at him._

“Aren’t you going to drink?” His crewmate asked. 

“Ah, yeah. Just…” he paused for a moment, scratching the back of his neck, “I’m not too thirsty. Really I just needed something to do.” 

Usopp replied with a small nod. There was no doubt that he was catching on that something was off. He took another sip in the quiet. “Did you have a rough day?” He earned no response. “I-I was just wondering. You seem a little quiet, that’s all.”

_Fuck, what am I going to say to him?_

The younger man tilted his head as he looked at the blond. “Sanji?” He seemed to have zoned out.

_I can’t do this tonight. I can’t say anything. This is stupid, what if I don’t even like him like that? I just… I just missed him after he left, that’s all. I’m just confusing things._

“Sanji?” he pressed a second time.

_I didn’t even prepare how exactly I would tell him. What am I going to say? Hey Usopp, I think I’m in love with you, please don’t hate me. Bullshit. I just… I just want to tell him. I- I want to tell him-_

“Sanji, are you okay?” Usopp softly grabbed Sanji’s shoulder.

“I like you,” Sanji spoke as he finally made eye contact. 

He froze. 

_What the fuck was that._

He stayed still as he felt Usopp retract his hand in shock.

Usopp looked at him. Both hands were now on his empty tea cup. A nervous grin pulled on his face, “Well- we’re friends right? I think friends are supposed to like each other at least a little in order for there to be a friendshi-”

“I mean more than a friend.” The chef winced at his own words. He could’ve brushed it off and went along to whatever Usopp was rambling about but he couldn’t. He already said what was on his mind, what’s the use in taking it back now if he would have to deal with it later?

The sniper got quiet. He just blinked at the statement. “M-more…” was the only thing he could mutter. He didn’t know how to respond. More than a friend? Sanji could feel his face growing redder. He hid his face in his palms. 

“More,” he repeated after him. “I-I’m sorry, I should've just kept that to myself. I just figured I should tell you at some point.”

“W-wait, but I’m not a girl though!” Usopp declared in confusion. “I thought you only liked women.” 

Sanji couldn’t bear to look at him. He could almost feel the rejection starting to blossom before him, and it was getting to be too much for him. He turned his head away from him as he used his hands to shield his face from view as he felt tears beginning to sprout. Why was he being such a crybaby all of a sudden? This wouldn’t be his first rejection. 

“Yeah, m-me too. I’ve always been just a l-ladies man, right?” Usopp looked at the sulking man, unknowing how to console him. He had too many questions running through his skull. “... Why me? I mean, there’s cooler guys on this ship!”

Sanji shrugged. “You’re just… I don’t know. You’re always there for people. You get scared sometimes, sure, and can act like a coward but you’re so much braver than you know of,” he suddenly got quiet, “and y-you’re pretty handsome, like, in a cute way with your stupid nose.” He mustered up the strength to look at him through his wet eyes.

“I thought I’d get over these feelings but… to be honest, they got worse when you left.” He could feel tears beginning to fall, so he covered his face once again and made his way behind the counter. He didn’t want him to hear his sniffling. “I’m sorry. It’s fucking wrong, I know. I should just be normal and stick with liking women but... “ he felt himself release a stale chuckle through his crying, “for some shitty reason I can’t.”

Usopp stared at him, only able to see the back of Sanji’s shirt as his shoulders shook. He knew there was a mixture of discomfort and anger going through the man’s mind. He frowned at this. He approached the cook without a second thought.

Sanji suddenly felt two arms wrap around his torso. His curious eyes wandered to look over his shoulder. Usopp had the side of his face pressed against the blond’s shoulder blades with his eyes squeezed shut. There was a beat of silence as the chef was frozen. 

“Stop being so hard on yourself, Sanji! I… I like you too! Just,” his voice trembled, “stop beating yourself up over it!"

Sanji lingered in his grasp for a few seconds longer as his brain processed what he had just said. He grabbed Usopp’s arms and made him let go of him. He stepped away and faced him. “W-what?” His eyes were still misty, filled with hot tears. 

“What did you say?”

Usopp stared wide eyed at him. “I like you too.” He brought his hands close to his chest, wondering if he made the right choice to hug him like that and tell him so suddenly after his confession. 

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better. It’s fine, you don’t have to lie to me.”

“I’m not!” he spoke, “I really do like you! A _lot_ ! I just... never thought you’d like me back, let alone tell me.” The two looked at each other quietly. The silence wasn’t that bad anymore. Sanji seemed to calm down. He chuckled softly. 

“Really?” he asked once more. Usopp nodded. 

“Damn,” he smiled through the last of his tears, “I didn’t… I didn’t think this would happen.” Usopp smiled back, “Yeah.” The two laughed quietly together, shocked at just how much they had kept from the other. There was no need to hide anything now. Sanji stepped closer to the other and pulled him into a hug. As he felt Usopp hug him back, he let his cheek rest against the shorter man’s shoulder. This hug felt different. It was more comfortable than any other and they felt an overwhelming sense of relaxation. 

They stood like this for a moment. Sanji’s tears had settled and their nerves were easing. Sanji was the first to break the quiet air around them.

“When I said I liked you more than a friend,” he started, “I meant that the way I like you is different from the rest of the crew. Around you, I feel… fuzzy inside.” He snickered, “I sound like a child.”

Usopp giggled, “No no, I get it.” He hugged back a little tighter, “You make me feel fuzzy inside too.”

The two finally let go of the embrace. The two looked at each other warmly. Sanji knew his eyes were probably stained with a faint shade of red from crying but Usopp didn’t seem to mind. He did, however, nervously scratch the back of his head and shift his gaze for a moment. 

“So… what are we now?” Sanji paused for a moment before holding his hand before him, his palm facing up in an inviting manner. 

“Are you comfortable with ‘boyfriends’?” Usopp smiled. “Yeah, I am,” he spoke, letting his hand rest atop Sanji’s. The blond took his hand and laced their fingers together. He stared at their hands for a moment. “Wow… this is just. Unexpected,” he snickered before looking back to Usopp with a small grin. 

Usopp smiled at him back. “And we can wait on telling the rest of the crew if you want.” Sanji nodded softly, “Just for a little bit.”

/Thud/

Something hit the door, pulling their attention. Luffy’s head popped up into the window. “Oi Usopp! Are you coming back?”

The two snatched their hands away from each other as soon as they saw their captain. “Yeah, just a sec!” He looked at the cook. “Thanks for the tea Sanji,” he spoke as he headed for the door. His hand was on the door ready to leave before he turned back. He shot a wide grin at him before leaving. 

Sanji smirked as he watched him run off with Luffy. 

“Boyfriends,” he muttered quietly to himself. “Hope Nami-san doesn't get too jealous,” he chuckled. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed reading! I'm an absolute sucker for confession fics so I had to write one :) This was an idea I had at 6 in the morning tbh XD  
> If you enjoyed the art at the end, be sure to check out my instagram: @craftyuworks -most of it is Sanuso related💞


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